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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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Motorists who use the Pango mobile app to pay at parking meters in Scranton will get reimbursed for any inadvertent overcharges since Sept. 1, the new operator of the city’s parking system said.
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The ailing Valley View High School pool is temporarily closed. School board directors unanimously voted Wednesday to decommission the natatorium and preserve the area until funding becomes available
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Editor: In less than three days, the College of Cardinals has elected a new pope to guide the billion-plus Catholics in the world.

Most astonishingly, the College of Cardinals chose one of their own who is not a Vatican political insider. He is a virtual unknown, who has been met with unequivocal approval throughout the world.

In light of its efficiency, brilliance and organizational skills, I suggest that the United States put the College of Cardinals on legal retainer every four years for three days to elect a new president of the United States.

This would save us $2 billion in campaign costs, plus an unimaginable amount of hand-wringing, frustration, and waste of time watching talking heads analyze every burp of the candidates.

No more broken promises or statements made in the heat of the campaign to worry about.

The public would be spared having to listen to the new pope campaigning that he has inherited a mess from the last administration (this pope really has), and that the other cardinals' primary goal is to get him out of the papacy quickly.

Most important, our president would not have to abandon his job to campaign during the last two years of his first term. My hat is off to the College of Cardinals.

EUGENE M. OGOZALEK

SCRANTON

Defying reason

Editor: The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved President Barack Obama's sensible call to crack down on illegal trafficking of firearms, a bill overwhelmingly supported by voters and even by the membership of the NRA. However, except for Sen. Charles Grassley, all of the committee's Republicans opposed the vote.

Given their vote, it is clear that the committee's Republicans actually favor allowing people to buy guns for those who are prohibited from owning them, such as felons, drug addicts, people subject to domestic violence orders, and those with serious mental illnesses. Clearly, they favor allowing "straw purchasers" to ship guns across state lines to criminals. They even favor allowing shipments to criminals in foreign countries who might use them in violent crimes.

It will be interesting to see whether the Republicans in the full Senate agree that our country should be made even more dangerous.

JOE ROGAN

EYNON

Achieve two goods

Editor: Who knew that if the liquor privatization legislation proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett passes both the state House and Senate that $1 billion will be disbursed in funding to our education system here in Pennsylvania?

The Passport to Learning Block Grant would provide Pennsylvania students with enhanced learning opportunities, career-focused training and provide money for schools to increase their safety and security measures.

This grant would be distributed statewide over four years and is based on a formula developed by the Department of Education that considered the school's enrollment and other factors. For Wayne County this amounts to over $2 million. For Lackawanna County, over $17 million.

What a bonus for schools, taxpayers and students in the commonwealth. Why haven't school districts been rallying in favor of this opportunity?

The current state liquor store system is inefficient, antiquated, unprofitable and draining our state's resources. Delaware, New Jersey and New York receive revenue from sales that our state should be receiving.

Not only would school districts benefit but the public safety of all would be enforced with substantial increases in liquor infringement fines and the mandatory usage of ID scanners for all new licensees.

It is time for Pennsylvania to become as competitive and updated as 48 other states that have privatized their liquor sales.

Why must we always be the last state to modernize, economize and put forth the best opportunities for our constituents?

TONI McANDREW

PLEASANT MOUNT, WAYNE COUNTY

Fair tax pursued

Editor: For over 20 years, Lehigh Twp., Wayne County, residents have been paying disproportionately higher school taxes than the nine townships in Lackawanna County that are part of the North Pocono School District.

Last spring some residents of Lehigh Twp. brought this issue up at a township supervisors meeting. Since then, the supervisors and their solicitor have been working with state Sen. Lisa Baker's office, Wayne County commissioners and its chief tax assessor, North Pocono School District, Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the State Tax Equalization Board in an effort to attempt to equalize school taxes for Lehigh Twp. residents.

We are alerting township residents to this issue and directing them where to find more information on our website twww.lehightwpwayneco.org. We would like to get the word out to township residents so that those who would like to actively participate in efforts for school tax equalization may do so.

Lehigh residents have been attending supervisors' meetings and the North Pocono School Board meetings to show a united front and support for fairly resolving this issue.

The Lehigh Twp. supervisors meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Township Building, 32 Second St., Gouldsboro. North Pocono School Board meetings are scheduled March 13, April 17, May 8 and June 12 at 7 p.m. at the high school on Bochicchio Boulevard in Covington Twp.

For information call the Lehigh Twp. office on Thursdays between 8 a.m. and noon at 842-6262.

GLEN MARTIN

VICE CHAIRMAN,

LEHIGH TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Sweet success

Editor: I am glad a judge in New York struck down the law that was going to ban large sugary drinks.

Nanny Bloomberg needed to get knocked down a few pegs. This guy is out of control. He got a ban on transfats and wants to ban more if he can get away with it. The judge ruled he did not have the right to ban the drinks.

I am so sick of these political hacks trying to tell us how to live, what we can eat, what kind of car we can drive. They even got away with banning some light bulb sales. They want us all to use those curly light bulbs. I use all 100-watt light bulbs throughout my house. As long as I pay the electric bill, the government should stay out of my business.

The only ones who benefit from this stuff are people like Al Gore, who has made millions of dollars off the global warming hoax.

Thank you to the judge for showing these dangerous progressive people that they cannot tell us how to live our lives.

CHARLIE NEWCOMB SR.

SCRANTON

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